Online shopping using nfc and a server

ABSTRACT

A method and system for conducting an online payment transaction through a point of sale device. The method includes receiving input from a user selecting an item for purchase through the point of sale device; calculating a total purchase amount for the item in response to a request from the user to purchase the item; and sending payment authorization for the total purchase amount from the point of sale device to a payment entity, in which the payment authorization is sent to the payment entity via a mobile communication device of the user. The method further includes receiving a result of the payment authorization from the payment entity through the mobile communication device; and completing the payment transaction based on the result of the payment authorization.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/948,903,filed Nov. 30, 2007, titled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING AN ONLINEPAYMENT TRANSACTION USING A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, all of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to data communications and wirelessdevices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communication devices—e.g., cellular phones, personal digitalassistants, and the like—are increasingly being used to conduct paymenttransactions as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/933,351, entitled “Method and System For Scheduling A BankingTransaction Through A Mobile Communication Device”, and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/467,441, entitled “Method and Apparatus ForCompleting A Transaction Using A Wireless Mobile Communication Channeland Another Communication Channel, both of which are incorporated hereinby reference. Such payment transactions can include, for example,purchasing goods and/or services, bill payments, and transferring fundsbetween bank accounts.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, this specification describes a method and system forconducting an online payment transaction through a point of sale device.The method includes receiving input from a user selecting an item forpurchase through the point of sale device; calculating a total purchaseamount for the item in response to a request from the user to purchasethe item; and sending payment authorization for the total purchaseamount from the point of sale device to a payment entity, in which thepayment authorization is sent to the payment entity via a mobilecommunication device of the user. The method further includes receivinga result of the payment authorization from the payment entity throughthe mobile communication device; and completing the payment transactionbased on the result of the payment authorization.

Particular implementations can include one or more of the followingfeatures. The point of sale device can be a desktop computer, a laptopcomputer, or a terminal. The mobile communication device can be acellular phone, a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA), or a laptopcomputer. The cellular phone can be an NFC-enabled phone. Sendingpayment authorization for the total purchase amount from the point ofsale device to a payment entity can include sending the paymentauthorization securely to the payment entity. The payment entity can bea person, a computer system, or a bank. The method can further includemaintaining a shopping list on the mobile communication device of theuser, in which the shopping list includes a listing of one or more itemsto be purchased by the user. The payment authorization can be anauthorization for payment with a credit card, a debit card, or a prepaidcard.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication system including awireless mobile communication device and a management server inaccordance with one implementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates one implementation of the wireless mobilecommunication device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a method for conducting a payment transaction using a point ofsale device in accordance with one implementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a communication system including awireless mobile communication device and an online store in accordancewith one implementation.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data processing system suitable forstoring and/or executing program code in accordance with oneimplementation.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates one implementation of a communication system 100. Thecommunication system 100 includes a hand-held, wireless mobilecommunication device 102 a point-of-sale device 104 and a managementserver 106. In one implementation, the mobile communication device 102includes a mobile application (discussed in greater detail below) thatpermits a user of the mobile communication device 102 to conduct paymenttransactions. Payment transactions can include, for example, usingcontactless payment technology at a retail merchant point of sale (e.g.,through point of sale device 104), using mobile/internet commerce (e.g.,purchase tickets and products, etc.), storage of payment information andother digital artifacts (e.g., receipts, tickets, coupons, etc.),storage of banking information (payment account numbers, security codes,PIN's, etc.), and accessing banking service (account balance, paymenthistory, bill pay, fund transfer, etc.), and so on. The mobilecommunication device 102 can be a cellular phone, a wireless personaldigital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, or other wirelesscommunication device. The point of sale device 104 can be a desktopcomputer, laptop computer, terminal, or other device that is configuredto receive user input selecting items for purchase or other transaction.

In one implementation, authorizations for payment transactions that aremade through the point of sale device 104 are sent from the point ofsale device 104 to an issuer authorization (e.g., management server 106)through the mobile communication device 102 (as shown in FIG. 1). In oneimplementation, an issuer authorization is a payment entity that eitherapproves or disapproves a payment transaction. An issuer authorizationcan be, e.g., a person, computer system, bank (or other third party).One potential benefit of having payment authorizations flow through themobile communication device 102 is that sensitive user information (e.g.account numbers, pin numbers, and/or identity information) need only besent from the mobile communication device 102 directly to an issuerauthorization. Such operation reduces the potential for identity theftand/or fraudulent purchases made through a point of sale device. Forexample, (in one implementation) payment authorizations cannot be sentto an issuer authorization if the mobile communication device 102 isturned off.

FIG. 2 illustrates one implementation of the mobile communication device102. The mobile communication device 102 includes a mobile application200 that (in one implementation) is provided to the mobile communicationdevice 102 through a remote server (e.g., management server 106). In oneimplementation, the mobile application is a Mobile Wallet applicationavailable from Mobile Candy Dish, Inc., of Alameda, Calif. In oneimplementation, the mobile application is a hosted service, as describedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/939,821, entitled “Method andSystem For Securing Transactions Made Through a Mobile CommunicationDevice”, which is incorporated herein by reference. In oneimplementation, the mobile application 200 is configured to sendrequests to the management server for artifacts based on user input,e.g., received though a keypad (not shown) of the mobile communicationdevice 102. Requests to the management server 106 can also be automated,via proximity-based services, e.g., consumer tapping (or in closeproximity) an LBS/contactless/RFID enabled phone against a smart poster(RFID/Bluetooth/LBS enabled, etc.), kiosk, or other device.

In one implementation, the mobile application 200 running on the mobilecommunication device 102 is configured to receive artifacts (e.g.,advertisements, receipts, tickets, coupons, media, content, and so on)from the management server 106. In one implementation, the managementserver 106 sends artifacts to the mobile application based on userprofile information and/or a transaction history (or payment trends)associated with a user of the mobile communication device 102 asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/944,267, entitled“Method and System For Delivering Information To a Mobile CommunicationDevice Based On Consumer Transactions”, which is incorporated herein byreference.

In one implementation, the mobile communication device 102 is anNFC-enabled phone. The mobile communication device 102 can beNFC-enabled, for example, through an embedded chip or a sticker that isaffixed to the cellular phone, as described in U.S. application Ser. No.11/933,321, entitled “Method and System For Adapting a Wireless MobileCommunication Device For Wireless Transactions”, which is incorporatedherein by reference. In one implementation, the NFC chip (or sticker) onthe cellular phone can be used in conjunction with a merchant's point ofsale device as described in greater detail below.

For example, with reference to FIG. 4, in one implementation, the NFCchip (or sticker) on the cellular phone can communicate with NFC chipsthat are installed on the front of PC's (TV's, Kiosks, or any otherdevice) and serve as scanners/readers. In this implementation a mobilecandy dish applet (e.g., MCD POS plugin 414) is installed on theconsumer's computer (e.g., PC 404) which interfaces with the NFC chip onthe PC. When a consumer (or user) is shopping online and they are readyto pay for their products, the consumer opens his mobile wallet andselects one of the payment methods (e.g., credit card, debit card,prepaid card, etc.) from their mobile wallet. If a default card has beenselected already, this step is not necessary. The consumer then wavestheir phone over the NFC reader present on the PC 404. The consumer'spayment credentials are transferred from the phone to the merchantwebsite (e.g., online store application 410) using a communicationprotocol between the chip in the phone and the chip in the PC, which canbe radio frequency for example. If the consumer has coupons in theirmobile wallet the consumer can either elect to manually apply thecoupon, save the coupon for a future use (against a larger purchase forexample), or have the coupon automatically applied during thetransaction and the transaction amount is updated. After the consumerenters any necessary validation information (e.g., pin) to provide amulti-factor authentication and confirms the transaction, the onlinepurchase is processed as normal by the merchant's online processor. Themobile wallet can retrieve transaction data, account balance from themanagement server 408.

In one implementation, the mobile communication device 102 is a nonNFC-enabled phone. In this implementation, the consumer connects hisphone to the PC 404 via some non radio frequency method (e.g., IR,Bluetooth, USB cable, etc.). When a consumer is shopping online and theyare ready to pay for their products, the consumer opens his mobilewallet and selects one of the payment methods (e.g., credit card, debitcard, prepaid card, etc.) from their mobile wallet. If a default cardhas been selected already, this step is not necessary. The consumer thenpushes, e.g., a “Buy now” button and the consumer's payment credentialsare transferred from the phone to the merchant website (e.g., onlinestore application 410) using the protocol between the phone and the PC404 which can be radio frequency, for example. If the consumer hascoupons in their mobile wallet the consumer can either elect to manuallyapply the coupon, save the coupon for a future use, or have the couponautomatically applied during the transaction and the transaction amountis updated. After the consumer enters any necessary validationinformation (e.g., pin) to provide multi-factor authentication andconfirms the transaction, the online purchase is processed as normal bythe merchant's online processor. The mobile wallet can retrievetransaction data and account balance from the management server 408.

In one implementation, the management server 408 and merchant portal(e.g., online store 408) are maintained by trusted parties and use anencrypted tunnel to transfer financial data. When the consumer is readyto pay for their online product, they enter their cell phone number onthe merchant portal. The merchant portal (which has an MCD applet (e.g.,MCD POS plugin 414) installed on its server) securely connects to themanagement server 408 (that in one implemetation is maintained by MobileCandy Dish (MCD)). In one implementation, the management server 408identifies the consumer through their cell phone number, and verifiesthe consumer's authenticity by sending a unique transaction code to theconsumer mobile wallet on their cell phone. The consumer then entersthis unique transaction code onto the merchant's web portal. Themerchant portal sends this transaction number to the management server408 for authentication. Upon authentication, the consumer's virtualwallet and payment methods (e.g., credit card, debit card, prepaid card,etc.) are securely retrieved from the management server 408 and aredisplayed to the consumer in a window on a website associated with themerchant portal. The consumer selects one of these payment methods topay for their transaction. If a default card has been selected already,this step is not necessary. If the consumer has coupons in their mobilewallet the consumer can either elect to manually apply the coupon, savethe coupon for a future use, or have the coupon automatically appliedduring the transaction and the transaction amount is updated. After theconsumer enters any necessary validation information to provide amulti-factor authentication and confirms the transaction, the onlinepurchase is processed as normal by the merchant's online processor. Themobile wallet can retrieve transaction data, account balance from themanagement server 408.

Referring to FIG. 2, in one implementation, the mobile application 200maintains a shopping list 202 for a consumer. Accordingly, consumershave the ability to store their shopping list in their mobile wallet andadd, delete, or change items on their shopping list either in offline oronline mode. In one implementation, consumers are sent coupons based onitems on their shopping list, preferences, previous shopping history,proximity to the physical retail store, or a combination of theseparameters, as discussed in application Ser. No. 11/944,267, which isincorporated by reference above. If the consumer has coupons in theirmobile wallet the consumer can either elect to manually apply thecoupon, save the coupon for a future use, or have the couponautomatically applied during the transaction and the transaction amountis updated. When a consumer wants to order the items on their shoppinglist via an on online merchant (in contrast to a physical retail store),the consumer can logon to the merchant portal and electronicallytransmit their shopping list to the merchant portal either by wavingtheir phone over NFC enabled PC's or some other connection such as IR,bluetooth, USB, or the like.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 for conducting a payment transactionusing a point of sale device (e.g., point of sale device 104). Userinput is received selecting one or more items for purchase (e.g., at thepoint of sale device) (step 302). In general, the transaction being madeat the point of sale device can be any type of transaction that involvesthe exchange or transfer of funds—e.g., the transaction can be a paymenttransaction, a fund transfer, or other type of transaction. In responseto a request from the user to purchase the one or more items, a totalpurchase amount for the one or more items is calculated (e.g., by thepoint of sale device) (step 304). If the user has coupons in theirmobile wallet the user can either manually apply the coupon or have thecoupon automatically applied during the transaction and the transactionamount is updated. The user request to purchase an item can be received,e.g., by a user clicking on a “buy now” icon that is displayed on agraphical user interface of the point of sale device. Paymentauthorization for the total purchase amount is sent to a payment entitythrough a mobile communication device of the user (step 306). A resultof the payment authorization is received at the point of sale devicefrom the payment entity via the mobile communication device (step 308).The payment transaction is completed based on the result of the paymentauthorization (step 310). If the payment transaction was authorized bythe payment entity, then the sale of the items through the point of saledevice is completed. Otherwise, if the payment transaction was notauthorized by the payment entity, then the point of sale deviceterminates the payment transaction.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example payment transaction being made in acommunication system 400 in accordance with one implementation. Thecommunication system 400 includes a mobile communication device 402, apersonal computer (PC) 404, an online store 406, and a core (ordatastore) 408. As indicated by interaction (1), a user (or customer),using a phone (e.g., mobile communication device 402 or personalcomputer 404), browses an online store website (online store application410) and finds an item that the customer wishes to purchase. This couldalso be a purchase made through a midlet application (POS midlet 412)residing on the mobile communication device 402. The user then goes to,e.g., a checkout of the online store 406 make a purchase. If the userhas coupons in their mobile wallet the user can either manually applythe coupon or have the coupon automatically applied during thetransaction and the transaction amount is updated. When it comes time toauthorize the purchase, (in one implementation) the user is given anoption to purchase with the mobile communication device 402. In oneimplementation, the mobile communication device 402 is an NFC-equippedphone (or NFC phone).

In interaction (2), when the user chooses to purchase with the mobilecommunication device 402, the online store application 410 sends thetransaction information for authorization to the POS vendor plugin(e.g., MCD POS plugin 414). In one implementation, the POS vendor pluginis installed in the merchant's online store and enables the merchant toaccepts MCD Blaze payments as an alternative form of payment, similar toaccepting credit cards for payment. As shown by interaction (3), the POSvendor plugin formats, encrypts, and cryptographically signs thepurchase authorization request which is sent via a secure SSL link(e.g., HTTPS, Bluetooth, IR, USB, or other suitable protocol)established by the browser/web application 416 back to the mobilecommunication device 402. As with the first scenario, all communicationsis over secure channels. (It may be required that the mobile walletapplication be opened prior to beginning a phone online purchase.) ThePOS midlet 412 is a component of the mobile wallet application thatexecutes PayPass or other payment authorization protocol between itselfand the SE payment applications on the mobile communication device 402(interaction (4)). The results of the request are sent back to the POSvendor plugin.

As shown by interaction (5), the POS midlet 412 then forwards theproperly formatted authorization request to a payment entity (e.g.,issuer authorization 418) for authorization. The results of the requestare then sent back to the POS component of the mobile wallet. Throughinteraction (6), the POS midlet 412 then forwards the results back tothe MCD POS plugin 414 to complete the purchase. The MCD POS plugin 414then forwards the purchase transaction information to the managementserver 408 for later customer viewing (interaction (7)). As indicated byinteraction (8), users (or customers) will then be able to query themanagement server 408 and immediately obtain purchase information,either by phone or PC.

One or more of method steps described above can be performed by one ormore programmable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Generally,the invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardwareand software elements. In one implementation, the invention isimplemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware,resident software, microcode, etc. Furthermore, the invention can takethe form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usableor computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or inconnection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For thepurposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readablemedium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The medium can be anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium.Examples of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solidstate memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk andan optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compactdisk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) andDVD.

FIG. 5 illustrates a data processing system 500 suitable for storingand/or executing program code. Data processing system 500 includes aprocessor 502 coupled to memory elements 504A-B through a system bus506. In other implementations, data processing system 500 may includemore than one processor and each processor may be coupled directly orindirectly to one or more memory elements through a system bus. Memoryelements 504A-B can include local memory employed during actualexecution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories thatprovide temporary storage of at least some program code in order toreduce the number of times the code must be retrieved from bulk storageduring execution. As shown, input/output or I/O devices 508A-B(including, but not limited to, keyboards, displays, pointing devices,etc.) are coupled to data processing system 500. I/O devices 508A-B maybe coupled to data processing system 500 directly or indirectly throughintervening I/O controllers (not shown).

In one implementation, a network adapter 510 is coupled to dataprocessing system 500 to enable data processing system 500 to becomecoupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storagedevices through communication link 512. Communication link 512 can be aprivate or public network. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards arejust a few of the currently available types of network adapters.

Although the present invention has been particularly described withreference to implementations discussed above, various changes,modifications and substitutes are can be made. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that in numerous instances some features of the inventioncan be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Further,variations can be made in the number and arrangement of componentsillustrated in the figures discussed above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A management server comprising: a management server interface configured to receive payment credentials from a point of sale (POS) terminal, the POS terminal including a terminal display interface configured to receive a request from a user selecting an item for purchase and a terminal processor configured to generate a near field communication (NFC) inductive trigger interaction with a secure element coupled to a mobile device, wherein a secure element processor executes an NFC application maintained in secure element memory in response to the NFC inductive trigger interaction; a management server processor configured to process an NFC transaction using the payment credentials and the coupon transferred from the secure element memory through the POS terminal to the management server, wherein the payment credentials and the coupon are transferred to the POS terminal using a first communication channel; and a management server memory configured to maintain a digital artifact for transmission to the mobile device using a second communication channel different from the first communication channel, wherein the mobile device includes a mobile device display, a mobile device memory, a mobile device processor configured to execute a mobile application, and a mobile device transceiver.
 2. The management server of claim 1, wherein the point of sale terminal is a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a thin client, and wherein the point of sale terminal includes an NFC chip configured as an NFC scanner and an NFC reader.
 3. The management server of claim 1, further comprising automatically applying a coupon during the near field communication transaction.
 4. The management server of claim 1, further comprising automatically applying a default payment method during the near field communication transaction.
 5. The management server of claim 3, wherein a receipt, ticket, or coupon is sent to the mobile device after the transaction.
 6. The management server of claim 5, wherein the management server sends the digital artifact to the mobile device when the user browses a particular screen of the mobile application that specifies location based services.
 7. The management server of claim 1, wherein the item is included in a virtual shopping list received at the mobile device through a near field communication interaction.
 8. The management server of claim 1, wherein the secure element is physically coupled to the mobile device but electrically decoupled from electrical interior components of the mobile device.
 9. The management server of claim 1, wherein the secure element is physically coupled to the mobile device and electrically coupled to electrical interior components of the mobile device.
 10. The management server of claim 1, wherein the secure element is included within the body of a memory card configured for placement in a memory card slot in the mobile device.
 11. The management server of claim 1, wherein the secure element is embedded within the body of the mobile communication device.
 12. The management server of claim 1, wherein a security tool is implemented at the mobile application, and wherein implementation of the security tool comprises prompting the user to login to the mobile device, using biometrics to authenticate the user before authorizing a transaction, disabling use of the mobile application, prompting the user to enter a payment limit PIN in response to a pending purchase exceeding a pre-determined amount, temporarily disabling the secure element, permanently disabling the secure element, deleting all cached data stored in the mobile device memory, and/or storing encrypted security codes on the mobile device, wherein disabling the secure element prevents near field communication payments, coupon redemption, and ticket redemption.
 13. A method comprising: receiving payment credentials from a point of sale (POS) terminal, the POS terminal including a terminal display interface configured to receive a request from a user selecting an item for purchase and a terminal processor configured to generate a near field communication (NFC) inductive trigger interaction with a secure element coupled to a mobile device, wherein a secure element processor executes an NFC application maintained in secure element memory in response to the NFC inductive trigger interaction; processing an NFC transaction using the payment credentials and the coupon transferred from the secure element memory through the POS terminal to the management server, wherein the payment credentials and the coupon are transferred to the POS terminal using a first communication channel; and maintaining a digital artifact for transmission to the mobile device using a second communication channel different from the first communication channel, wherein the mobile device includes a mobile device display, a mobile device memory, a mobile device processor configured to execute a mobile application, and a mobile device transceiver.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the point of sale terminal is a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a thin client, and wherein the point of sale terminal includes an NFC chip configured as an NFC scanner and an NFC reader.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically applying a coupon during the near field communication transaction.
 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically applying a default payment method during the near field communication transaction.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein a receipt, ticket, or coupon is sent to the mobile device after the transaction.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the management server sends the digital artifact to the mobile device when the user browses a particular screen of the mobile application that specifies location based services.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the item is included in a virtual shopping list received at the mobile device through a near field communication interaction.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein the secure element is physically coupled to the mobile device but electrically decoupled from electrical interior components of the mobile device. 